


Love in the Time of Death

by EndoratheWitch



Category: Strange Magic (2015)
Genre: F/M, Horror, Human AU, Violence, Zombies, cursing, zombie guts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-21
Updated: 2015-11-21
Packaged: 2018-05-02 16:19:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,291
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5255009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EndoratheWitch/pseuds/EndoratheWitch
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Zombie outbreatk</p>
            </blockquote>





	Love in the Time of Death

**Author's Note:**

> This is one, of two different zombie AUs I have been asked to try and write!

When the virus started to spread, everyone thought it was just the media blowing a minor sickness out of proportion; a new type of flu was most likely what it was. By the time everyone realized it was actually something else, it was already too late. 

Marianne remembered the day the outbreak hit their town. It had been a beautiful end of summer day when the first attack came. Marianne had been home alone, her sister and Sunny having taken their day out grocery shopping. Her first encounter with the outbreak was Leland Bloomsfield, a guy Dawn, her sister, currently had a crush on. He had shown up at the gate to their house. 

Marianne had seen him through the kitchen window of their small ranch-style home, just standing there. She thought that he must be here to talk to Dawn, but he had just stood there at the gate for the longest time without moving. Marianne had gotten annoyed. He just stood there! What the hell did he want? She had just started to think about calling the cops when she decided maybe she should go see what he wanted. 

Dawn wasn't here anyway, she was out with her best friend Sunny and Dad. Marianne had decided she was sick of him standing out there being all stalker-like, so she was going to go tell Leland to shove off. She had started to walk toward the gate when Leland jerked like a puppet, his head coming up turning to look at her. She wasn't close yet, but she could see something was terribly wrong with his face. 

She took a step backwards looking for something to defend herself with as some gut instinct told her that this was not normal—this was bad, very bad. She saw the rake leaning up against the tree in the front yard and ran for it. With a slide she grabbed the rake, leaping to her feet to spin just as Leland came over the gate in a tumble. 

He hit the walkway hard enough that it should have knocked him out, but he shambled to his feet. That was when Marianne got a good look at his face; his eyes were clouded, his features sagged like he had had a stroke and his skin was an unnatural shade of grey. He lurched at her with a terrifying moan of want, need. 

Marianne brought the rake around as he got close enough, hitting him across the head hard enough to draw blood. His head snapped to the side, causing him to jerk to the side. She swung again putting as much strength as she could into the swing, hitting him again in the side of the head, blood splattering out from the wound she had opened up on his skull, but Leland kept coming. 

Marianne instinctively knew this was life or death. She stabbed forward with the rake. It wasn't really sharp enough to cut into Leland, but oddly the tines of the rake went right into his chest, cutting through the flesh easily. That was when the smell hit her. An overly powerful scent of decay. 

She tried to jerk the rake back, but it was stuck inside of the Leland-thing's chest. His arms reached out for her as he moaned, his grey fingers grasping for her. 

Marianne put all her strength into forcing the rake down in an attempt to loosen it, when the handle snapped at the point where handle met rake. As soon as she had it free, she did a full spin, putting power behind her swing, hitting Leland in the side of his head with a loud and sickening crack. 

The power of the strike caused the flesh of his neck to rip, long strings of flesh snapped up like rubber bands and black blood splattered from the wound. Marianne did another spin bringing her leg up in a deadly side swing to the creature's head. Her foot hit Leland then she followed it with the broken rake handle, finally snapping Leland's neck with a loud crack of bone. Leland's body went down like a sack of potatoes. 

Marianne stood there panting. She looked down at the remains of Leland lying crumpled on the grass, his head lumpy and misshaped from its beating and lying at an unnatural angle. There were drops of black blood splattered on her shirt and down her pants legs, covering her tennis shoes. After a moment staring at the remains, she turned and vomited, emptying out everything in her stomach until she choked on a few dry heaves. She had just killed someone! 

That was when she heard the sound like a hungry moan, similar to noises Leland made before she had killed him. Her head snapped up. She turned to see that shambling up the street was a figure. It was someone moving much like Leland had been, a slow shuffle. “What is going on?” she whispered under her breath as panic made her blood turn to ice. 

Marianne ran back inside to find her cellphone. She slammed the button for her sister so hard it was a surprise she did not break the phone. But Dawn answered on the first ring. “Hey, sis! What's up?” 

“Where are you?” 

“I'm in town with Sunny and Dad what's...hey, something weird is going on!” “Dawn??” 

She heard her Dad's voice. “Dawn what is that man doing?” Marianne yelled into the phone. “Dawn, Dad, Sunny—get out of there now!!!!” She heard Dawn scream and then the phone went dead. 

* 

Bog heard the sounds of shouting from the front of the store. He didn't give them much thought as he was walking behind his mother helping her shop for groceries. He was hunched over slightly as he walked. He did it unconsciously because he was so much taller than most people. He heard another scream and his mother stopped short. “Bog?” 

“Stay here, mom. I am going to go look.” 

She nodded at her son. She stood only as high as her towering son's waist. Her son was built like his Dad who had died a few years back. She gripped the shopping cart hard, her knuckles turning white. Something was seriously wrong, she felt it in her bones. 

Bog's long legs took him to the front of the shop and that was when he saw it—chaos. There were several people attacking some of the shoppers out in the parking lot. His gaze swept the area taking in a young blonde woman with two men near the storefront. The older man and younger man, about the size of his mother, were fighting off a couple of people who were clawing and groaning, clearly trying to get to the three who were not doing well against their attackers. Bog didn't even think. He looked around for something to use for a weapon. Luckily, there was a display of lawn equipment near the front. 

Bog reached out grabbing a shovel. He moved swiftly out of the store, swinging the damn shovel like it was a broadsword hitting one of the attackers in the neck. It was a sloppy hit, but the side of the shovel cut into the flesh like it was made of paper. Bog was startled by level of damage his attack caused. He yanked back, black blood flying from the wound, though not like it should have. 

Bog was sure he had hit an artery, but there was no spray. Worse, the person kept tying to attack, but now his attention was on Bog. He took a step back with a snarl, holding the shovel like a weapon with both hands as his attacker shambled toward him. He could now see dead eyes and grey sagging skin. He hissed in shock, thinking to himself, zombies? Are you shitting me? 

He moved with grace and skill, all those years when he was an adolescent taking fencing and learning to fight suddenly came flooding back to him. He brought the shovel in a full low swing, the sharp head of the blade and the power behind the swing cut the belly of one zombie open, its guts spilling out in a disgusting mess. But it didn't stop moving toward him. He snarled, “Fucking, fucking hell!!!” 

Bog stumbled, trying to get out of the way as it lurched at him. He managed to bring the shovel up in a block, the zombie biting down on the wooden handle missing Bog's fingers by inches. He growled, struggling with it trying to avoid the other one coming at him. He ground his teeth and with a powerful push, he forced the shovel handle up catching the second zombie under its chin hard enough that the jaw broke. 

Bog could see from the corner of his eye, his mother had come up front, joining the three he was currently trying to rescue. Knocking the one zombie back, he twisted and pulled breaking zombie teeth of the one that had bitten down. He twisted the shovel with one hand before grabbing it with the other and with a sharp downward thrust, the shovel's head cleaved the zombie's face in half. He didn't stop to think or consider that there was black blood and brain matter going everywhere. 

He twisted the direction of his makeshift weapon. It was an awkward upper thrust, but he hit the second zombie under the jaw, driving its broken mandible into its skull, hitting the brain. Bog dropped the shovel as the creature dropped, really dead now. 

It was only then that he registered his mother yelling at him and the blonde girl screaming. He turned and saw more of the undead. “Fuck! Come on!!” He motioned at their group as he reached out, grabbing another weapon, this time a deadly looking pick. “Everyone grab something and come on! I have a truck!” No one questioned him, every one of them snagging something. 

Bog noticed his mother still had her cart of food. He was going to say something, but then he glanced around; the parking lot was getting worse. He didn't know what the hell was going on, but his mom was probably right, bring the food. Bog grabbed his tiny mother, tossing her into the cart atop the pile of food and headed to the truck. 

Bog led their small group, thanking his lucky stars he had parked his truck away from the center parking lot where all the zombie action was taking place. They got to the truck, Bog picking his mother up and putting her on her feet. “Mom, you and the girl get in the cab!” Sunny grabbed Dagda, helping the elder man into the bed of the truck. 

Bog grabbed handfuls of groceries from the cart throwing them in the cab as swiftly as he could. He ran around to the driver's side of the truck, yanking out his keys and cellphone. He slid into the driver's seat slamming his keys in the ignition. He gunned the engine, ripping the truck out of the parking lot. 

He tossed his phone at his mother. “Call Thang and Stuff—see where they are!” The little blonde yelled, “My sister!!” Bog shot her a look, then sighed. “Where is she?” 

* 

Marianne was upstairs in her room, armed with the biggest kitchen knife she was able to find. She had moved her dresser in front of her door, barricading herself inside even though nothing had tried to get in, but she was terrified. She had no idea where her family was or what was going on. She trembled in both fear and anger. She had been trying to phone Dawn, but her sister wasn't picking up. She felt tears welling her eyes. 

She had slumped against the wall, having no idea what to do next, when she heard the sound of a truck. She leapt to her feet to look out her bedroom window. That was when she saw a truck slam through their fence and come to a stop in her yard. A very tall lanky man jumped out of the driver's side looking around quickly. 

She saw her Dad and Sunny in the back shouting at the house, then Dawn stuck her head out of the passenger window. Seeing all three of them was like a punch to the gut. The relief Marianne felt almost dropped her to her knees. She threw her window open to crawl out onto the porch room roof. “Dawn, I'm here!!! Dad!!” 

Bog looked up on the roof of the porch to see the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She had short punky hair and big beautiful eyes. He swallowed, his eyes going wide at the sight of her on the roof, but then he looked around quickly. They were drawing the attention of the zombies wandering the neighborhood. 

He looked up at the woman on the roof. “Jump! I'll catch you!” For a moment, Marianne stared down at the stranger. He held his arms out to catch her. He had sharp features, a long nose and even from here, those eyes. She couldn't explain it, but right now, instantly, she trusted him to catch her, so she jumped. 

Bog caught her as she hit his body hard, wrapping his arms tightly around her slim form. She hit him hard when she dropped, but he caught her easily. He managed not to fall back on his ass, staggering but remaining upright. 

He kept a hold of her as he regained his balance again, blushing despite the circumstances to have her pressed against him. Her breathing was labored. Marianne took one look at him and kissed him hard on the mouth. “Thank you! Let's go!”


End file.
